Mock Draft 2.0: Bears and Lions Move Back, Ravens and Commanders Move Up.

As the 2023 NFL Draft officially hits the one month away mark, it is only suiting to drop my official Mock Draft 2.0. In this updated mock, we now know who is in full control of the number one overall pick. The Carolina Panthers made the jump to number one back in mid March, sending a haul of picks and star receiver DJ Moore.

As for what the Panthers are going to do with said pick remains to be unknown. After adding pieces like DJ Chark, Adam Thielen, and Hayden Hurst in free agency, the new face of the franchise will be walking into a better situation than most number one overall picks do.

Now that the combine is over, and the first few waves of free agency have passed, it is time for Mock Draft 2.0

Disclaimer: the Miami Dolphins were forfeited of their first round pick due to tampering. The Chicago Bears traded the number one overall pick for pick 9, pick 61, a 2024 1st round pick, a 2025 2nd round pick, and wide receiver D.J Moore.

Pick 1: Carolina Panthers select C.J Stroud, Quarterback, Ohio State.

Trade details: Chicago trades pick 1 to Carolina for Pick 9, pick 61, 2024 1st round pick, 2025 2nd round pick and WR DJ Moore.

Head coach Frank Reich and General Manager Scott Fitterer put their balls on the line in the move up with the Chicago Bears. Reich drafts the quarterback he would have only dreamed of in Indianapolis. Stroud is measured at 6 foot 3, 215 lbs and is the exact mold of what Reich wants in his signal caller.

Pick 2: Houston Texans select Bryce Young, Quarterback, Alabama.

General manager Nick Caserio sits back at pick two and lands maybe the best quarterback in the draft. The size of Bryce Young doesn’t fear the Texans Brass and they don’t second guess this selection.

Pick 3: Arizona Cardinals select Will Anderson, Edge, Alabama.

This pick could possibly be moved on draft night with a quarterback-hungry franchise like Indianapolis, Las Vegas or Tennessee, but for right now the Cardinals stick and draft the best pass rusher available.

Pick 4: Indianapolis Colts select Anthony Richardson, Quarterback, Florida.

General Manager Chris Ballard makes a career saving draft pick and selects dual-threat quarterback Anthony Richardson, who has been described as a project with a very high ceiling. Richardson needs to take his time and sit behind a veteran and buy Ballard all the time in the world.

Pick 5: Seattle Seahawks select Tyree Wilson, Edge, Texas Tech.

After adding Dre’Mont Jones and Jarran Reed to the defensive line, it makes it hard to believe that Seattle will go defensive interior star Jalen Carter here at five. They’ll take lengthy edge rusher Tyree Wilson to polish off their defensive line.

Pick 6: Detroit Lions select Jalen Carter, DL, Georgia.

After a phenomenal offseason from Detroit, in which they invested heavily in their secondary, they are in position to take the best player available and they do that here with the risky, yet talented Jalen Carter.

Pick 7: Las Vegas Raiders select Will Levis, Quarterback, Kentucky.

Jimmy Garoppolo finds himself in another scenario like he found himself in San Francisco, but I think this time it plays out a little differently. He signed a three year, 72 million dollar contract to join the Las Vegas Raiders. I think Garoppolo’s job is safe for two years as I think Levis could take the longest time to adjust to the play of the NFL.

Pick 8: Atlanta Falcons select Christian Gonzalez, DB, Oregon.

Atlanta doesn’t take any risk on jumping up for a quarterback and they ride into 2023 with Desmond Ridder at the helm. They immediately create one of the league's best cornerback duos with the selection of Christian Gonzalez, pairing him up with the impressive AJ Terrell.

Pick 9: (Trade) Washington Commanders select Devon Witherspoon, DB, Illinois.

Trade details: Chicago trades Pick 9 to Washington Pick 16, pick 47.

Head coach Ron Rivera convinces General Manager Martin Mayhew to make the jump up to pick nine and draft the physical Devon Witherspoon. He will fit right in with Rivera’s system and become a day one impact player for their defense.

Pick 10: Philadelphia Eagles select Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern.

After a depleting offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles losing many starters, the Eagles actually have to take a position of need here. After the loss of Isaac Seumalo, they take Skoronski here at 10 and transfer him to guard.

Pick 11: Tennessee Titans select Paris Johnson Jr, OT, Ohio State.

Tennessee wastes no time replacing the legendary Taylor Lewan, and are ecstatic when Johnson is available for them at pick 11. Johnson’s pro day speed and fast feet made him a secured top 15 pick.

Pick 12: Houston Texans select Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Wide Receiver, Ohio State.

Bryce Young lands his new number one receiver and is set up with a mighty fine staff in Houston. They've re-signed Laremy Tunsil to a long term extension, signed Robert Woods and Dalton Schultz, and now find a true number one receiver in Smith-Njiba.

Pick 13: New York Jets select Nolan Smith, Edge, Georgia.

Head coach Robert Saleh can’t keep his hands off this pick and selects the extremely quick pass rusher out of Georgia. He comes in and has an immediate day one impact on an already stellar defensive front. Aaron Rodgers is going to have to get the ball out very quickly in practice this summer.

Pick 14: New England Patriots select Joey Porter Jr, DB, Penn State.

Bill Belichick misses out on both Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon but still lands a very talented secondary piece in Joey Porter Jr. Football has run in Porter’s bloodline his whole life, as his dad was a four time pro bowler for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That will make Belichick's draw to Porter even higher.

Pick 15: Green Bay Packers select Jordan Addison, Wide Receiver, USC.

Kind of ironic that the minute Aaron Rodgers leaves Green Bay they finally draft a receiver in the first round, right? Well with Jordan Love as the new quarterback in Green Bay, they’ll make sure that Love has all the tools to succeed in this offense. Jordan Addison is a phenomenal piece who will make the receiver room of Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs even better.

Pick 16: Chicago Bears select Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia.

Ryan Poles once again decides to move back and gain more capital giving him three second round picks, and five total picks in the top 64. They use pick 16 to fill a major position of need, landing a new protector at right tackle for Justin Fields.

Pick 17: Pittsburgh Steelers select Lukas Van Ness, Edge, Iowa.

In my Mock 1.0 I suspected that by the time I made my Mock 2.0 that Lukas Van Ness would have moved higher up my draft boards. That doesn’t seem to be the case here anymore after a few weeks of free agency. Mike Tomlin lands another pass rusher to pair alongside the legendary TJ Watt.

Pick 18: (Trade) Baltimore Ravens select Quentin Johnston, Wide Receiver, TCU.

Trade details: Pick 18 for pick 22, pick 86, and a 2024 4th round pick.

After the dust settles with the Lamar Jackson dilemma, they’ll go back to attempting to make him happy. They make the jump up from 22 to land the large Quentin Johnston, giving Jackson a shiny new receiver.

Pick 19: Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Calijah Kancey, DL, Pitt.

As Tampa Bay starts to find their way through the post Tom Brady era of their franchise they start by addressing the defensive line. Calijah Kancey is a force to be reckoned with in the middle, and will come in alongside Vita Vea who should do dangerous things together.

Pick 20: Seattle Seahawks select O'Cyrus Torrence, OG, Florida.

There’s not many positions of need left for Seattle to fill, but guard is one of them. They address both offensive line and defensive line in this draft and it makes them one of the more complete rosters in all of football.

Pick 21: Los Angeles Chargers select Zay Flowers, Wide Receiver, Boston College.

As I said before in my previous Mock, Kellen Moore is taking the helm of a high powered offense, and he’s going to want to add one more elite weapon to the mix. Zay Flowers made magic happen at Boston College with really no big arm tossing him the rock. If Flowers, Keenan Allen, and Mike Williams can all stay on the field together, Justin Herbert might just win the MVP.

Pick 22: Detroit Lions select Deonte Banks, DB, Maryland.

Lions go back to back first round picks bolstering up two position groups on the defensive side of the ball. Their defense cost them many games last season that could’ve easily had them in the postseason. Now they become virtually a postseason lock, and maybe the NFC North favorites after a phenomenal first round.

Pick 23: Minnesota Vikings select Myles Murphy, Edge, Clemson.

The Minnesota Vikings eventually find a trade suitor for Za'darius Smith and address that hole with pick 23. Myles Murphy comes into a defense that struggled in 2022, and will have high hopes to come in and change the culture with Brian Flores.

Pick 24: Jacksonville Jaguars select Emmanuel Forbes, DB, Mississippi State.

The Jaguars released Shaq Griffin just last week and now make cornerback a big position of need in Duval County. Emmanuel Forbes is an athletic freak who ran a 4.35 40 yard dash, and had a 38 inch vertical. He will eventually be able to take on any wide receiver in the league, and will be a massive part of Jacksonville’s defense as they continue building a super bowl roster around Trevor Lawrence.

Pick 25: New York Giants select Brian Branch, Safety, Alabama.

While many expect the Giants to address the Wide Receiver position here at 25, I don’t think they’ll jump on anyone with the big four being off the board by the time they pick. Wink Martindale will get himself a new piece in the secondary with Brian Branch.

Pick 26: Dallas Cowboys select Bryan Bresee, DL, Clemson.

The Dallas Cowboys get immense value here at pick 26 with the selection of Bryan Bresee. The 6 foot 5, 300 pound, force in the middle is going to be a large problem in the trenches. Being in the NFC East, games are often won in the trenches, and now Dallas adds a monster to the mix.

Pick 27: Buffalo Bills select Cam Smith, DB, South Carolina.

The Buffalo Bills are one of the deepest rosters in the NFL. With the departure of Devin Singletary, many believe Bijan Robinson will be the selection here. I think they’ll wait and make sure to lock down another defensive back to pair with Tre'Davious White and Kaii Elam.

Pick 28: Cincinnati Bengals select Bijan Robinson, Running Back, Texas.

After an impressive, yet difficult six seasons from Joe Mixon, the Bengals decide to finally move on. The departure of Samaje Perine means Bijan should come in the clear cut number one option at running back, but prepare for them to add a veteran to help Bijan with the load.

Pick 29: New Orleans Saints select Will McDonald IV, Edge, Iowa State.

As Cameron Jordan gets older, and the disappointing 2018 first round pick Marcus Davenport departs for Minnesota, the New Orleans Saints are in need of another pass rushing presence. Will McDonald IV is fast off the edge with long arms and could have a big impact on their defensive line within a year or two.

Pick 30: Philadelphia Eagles select Josh Downs, Wide Receiver, UNC.

Even though the Super Bowl runner ups have lost numerous defensive starters off their roster, they’ll spend both first round picks on helping Jalen Hurts. The explosive Josh Downs will come in and take the pressure off of A.J Brown and Devonta Smith, and make the Philadelphia offense only more dangerous.

Pick 31: Kansas City Chiefs select Adetomiwa Adebawore, Edge, Northwestern.

One of the most shocking pick’s of my Mock Draft 2.0 is Adetomiwa Adebawore going to Kansas City at the end of the first round. Adebawore is flying up peoples draft boards and he’s going to be the shock of the first round. His Pro Day where he showed off his insane athleticism landed him on Kansas City’s map, where they can afford to draft a player like Adebawore.